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This whole situation makes me deeply uncomfortable. First, because it demonstrates the extent to which a company can be brought to its knees by a group of host

This whole situation makes me deeply uncomfortable. First, because it demonstrates the extent to which a company can be brought to its knees by a group of hostile people organized online. Second because hundreds and hundreds of men here and elsewhere seem quite happy to align themselves with an overtly sexist, violently threatening campaign against an individual whose views they disagree with. I am not in a position to comment on the firing, or what qualifies someone to excel as an "evangelist." The statement is right that she probably couldn't do her job well anymore. But this is a sad thing, not a victory, and the further abuse and ignorance happening and being up voted here is really unsettling. Why are so many really so angry? I promise it has nothing to do with this woman. Taking a photograph of someone in a public place and reporting what they said within earshot, without any expectation of privacy, does not warrant vitriol. Joking about big dicks and sex disruptively in the context of a public event held for a profession which continues to struggle with sexism and misogyny means something very different than joking to a friend, and those people who have chosen to listen to what you have to say, about pretending to have a big dick. And guess what, her sentiment about racism, whether I agree with it or not, is shared by many scholars of American race relations who are decidedly more informed on the subject. Instead of shaming a stranger who has a different frame of reference than you (assuming you haven't had much experience as a black woman) why don't we all take a deep breath and think about how we can protect against the kind of fear so palpable in Sendgrid's statement, the kind that cowed them so extremely?

keli 14y ago
But why did she tweet the photo? Why stir up a bunch of shit in public? Apparently she has done it before: http://amandablumwords.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/3/ http://amandablumwords.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/3/
- shiven 14y ago
  Wow! I am speechless. I was so willing let her get away with the way overblown Internet meltdown, but this proves without any doubt that Adria has a pattern of such public misbehavior. Hope all her potential future employers read this one link, if nothing else. What a vindictive sociopath!
- tempestn 14y ago
  Wow. Indeed, that's a pretty clear pattern. Looks like she spends her time looking for ridiculous things to get deeply offended by.
deleted 14y ago
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obstacle1 14y ago
>Second because hundreds and hundreds of men here and elsewhere seem quite happy to align themselves with an overtly sexist, violently threatening campaign against an individual whose views they disagree with. Erm, I don't know that I see that. I presume you mean the anonymous-handle twitter/facebook vitriol? Yeah, that's just what internet forum kids do. Every time a trainwreck happens. And disagreeing with Adria doesn't automatically place one in the same camp as them, or "align" one with them. I, for one, think Adria absolutely deserved to be fired. I think I'm qualified to say that, because logic. I think we are all qualified to judge that one. I also think that the death/rape/violence threats she received were utterly reprehensible. One can be in both camps.
- doktrin 14y ago
  > And disagreeing with Adria doesn't automatically place one in the same camp as them, or "align" one with them. A certain "if you're not with us you're against us" rhetoric has been bandied about here recently, effectively implying that any who voice opposition, or fail to actively defend, Adria are somehow complicit to the vitriolic hate speech seen on Twitter / FB or wherever. This is not really a logical leap to make, and only serves to further divide the community. It should be perfectly acceptable to voice rational viewpoints without fear of being associated with extremist groups. Logical discussion is a hallmark of this forum, and I would hate to see it disappear to fear and paranoia.
powertower 14y ago
> Why are so many really so angry? I promise it has nothing to do with this woman. One guy (while looking at the presentation), turned his head to his buddy, and said - look at the size of that dongle, would you fork it? Do you know what that is? It's Funny (and crude). And if you don't find it to be so, that's just too bad. You're not owed anything. You (nor anyone else) have been violated. We are simply getting fed up that there are people so PC, so fragile, so venomous, so victimhood seeking, that they would attempt to drop a bomb on us over nothing. > And guess what, her sentiment about racism, whether I agree with it or not, is shared by many scholars of American race relations who are decidedly more informed on the subject. Redefining established words to fit your narrative (as someone said on here) is a crime against understanding and is not acceptable.
- shantanubala 14y ago
  > Redefining established words to fit your narrative (as someone said on here) is a crime against understanding and is not acceptable. This is hardly a redefinition as much as a clarification of intent and context. Saying that it's a "crime against understanding" is a bit of an exaggeration. I mean, saying that racism is "prejudice" is what Dictionary.com says, and saying racism is "prejudice with power" is what a sociologist says, then can't you figure it out with context? Dictionary.com says gravity is, "the force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall toward the center of the earth." but a physicist would probably have a different definition they think is more accurate. I definitely wouldn't say that Adria was right in this whole incident, but picking apart the rest of her Twitter history like it's some sort of way to establish how much you should dislike her is the wrong approach to making things better.
  - dinkumthinkum 14y ago
    Nonsense. She wrote in all caps that a class of people "CANNOT" be racist in all caps like a loony bird. She wasn't making some deep intellectual point. Come on. It was stupidity. It's not the same as a layperson describing gravity in terms of some basic understanding of Newtonian physics and a physicist describing it in terms of general relativity. It was just dumb.
deleted 14y ago
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danielweber 14y ago
First, because it demonstrates the extent to which a company can be brought to its knees by a group of hostile people organized online I agree. This is frightening. Any concept of a DDOS being a "digital sit-in" are dumb. PlayHaven may also have been trying to avoid the mob, too. Second because hundreds and hundreds of men here and elsewhere seem quite happy to align themselves with an overtly sexist, violently threatening campaign against an individual whose views they disagree with. What do you mean by "align themselves"? Those are extremely vague words. Do you mean "approve of"? Or do you mean "takes the same side as"? Anyone who approves of the DDOS is a moron. Anyone who approves of death threats is a sociopath. The people who issued threats should be subject to criminal prosecution. However, people can find themselves legitimately on the same side of an issue as a bunch of assholes. No one should be forced out of a position by the fact that disgusting people also have that opinion.[1] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy
- thejosh 14y ago
  DDOS is about the same level as fire bombing a business. People like Richard Stallman who disagree (Richard Stallman is stuck in the past) really haven't got a clue that's going on.
  - dinkumthinkum 14y ago
    No, I can't make that leap. Firebombing? I don't condone DDOS, but that's just crazy. The moment people can die (without citing some kind of really strange examples) from DDOS, I will reconsider but come on.
  - hga 14y ago
    Arson is a serious felony because people are often killed by it, inhabitants and/or firefighters. A DDoS is akin to blocking the entry of customers to a retail establishment.
dinkumthinkum 14y ago
Hogwash. Where's the evidence that the people pictured said anything. Which one said what? At best this is potentially libelous. If you had video of them saying it or a photo of them making gestures, this is one thing. As well, the statements were not, per se, as far as I have heard, misogynistic. If the facts of the case were different and we had the same response, I would probably side with you. However, it seems like this person is throwing a little temper tantrum and it is, apparently, a pattern of behavior of her's that doesn't help anyone. It's also very poor judgement for someone representing a company at a conference. It seems a little silly to me for someone that is allegedly an evangelist for a tech company not to know how the Internet works. As for the racism bit, since you brought it up, no it was a moronic statement without real basis. I don't think Sendgrid cowed at all. I think this person has a history, apparently, of baiting situations and causing herself to be a spectacle, very inappropriate for a representative.
mc32 14y ago
Nitpick... >Taking a photograph of someone in a public place and reporting what they said within earshot, without any expectation of privacy, does not warrant vitriol. It's not actually a public place. It's a private venue. The venue can set the policy as it sees fit the same way concerts can ban recording devices, etc.
VigUi7vv8G2 14y ago
Here's a thought: You don't need to post every single thought you have on twitter. So many of these controversies can be avoided by following that rule
doktrin 14y ago
> Taking a photograph of someone in a public place and reporting what they said within earshot, without any expectation of privacy, does not warrant vitriol. FWIW, the prospect of being overheard for a passing comment and subsequently slandered all over Twitter is rather terrifying. I suspect many contributors here can easily see themselves in the shoes of the dev who was canned, and therefore perceive Adria's actions as unreasonable.

keli 14y ago

But why did she tweet the photo? Why stir up a bunch of shit in public? Apparently she has done it before: http://amandablumwords.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/3/ http://amandablumwords.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/3/

shiven 14y ago
Wow! I am speechless. I was so willing let her get away with the way overblown Internet meltdown, but this proves without any doubt that Adria has a pattern of such public misbehavior. Hope all her potential future employers read this one link, if nothing else. What a vindictive sociopath!
tempestn 14y ago
Wow. Indeed, that's a pretty clear pattern. Looks like she spends her time looking for ridiculous things to get deeply offended by.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

obstacle1 14y ago

>Second because hundreds and hundreds of men here and elsewhere seem quite happy to align themselves with an overtly sexist, violently threatening campaign against an individual whose views they disagree with. Erm, I don't know that I see that. I presume you mean the anonymous-handle twitter/facebook vitriol? Yeah, that's just what internet forum kids do. Every time a trainwreck happens. And disagreeing with Adria doesn't automatically place one in the same camp as them, or "align" one with them. I, for one, think Adria absolutely deserved to be fired. I think I'm qualified to say that, because logic. I think we are all qualified to judge that one. I also think that the death/rape/violence threats she received were utterly reprehensible. One can be in both camps.

doktrin 14y ago
> And disagreeing with Adria doesn't automatically place one in the same camp as them, or "align" one with them. A certain "if you're not with us you're against us" rhetoric has been bandied about here recently, effectively implying that any who voice opposition, or fail to actively defend, Adria are somehow complicit to the vitriolic hate speech seen on Twitter / FB or wherever. This is not really a logical leap to make, and only serves to further divide the community. It should be perfectly acceptable to voice rational viewpoints without fear of being associated with extremist groups. Logical discussion is a hallmark of this forum, and I would hate to see it disappear to fear and paranoia.

powertower 14y ago

> Why are so many really so angry? I promise it has nothing to do with this woman. One guy (while looking at the presentation), turned his head to his buddy, and said - look at the size of that dongle, would you fork it? Do you know what that is? It's Funny (and crude). And if you don't find it to be so, that's just too bad. You're not owed anything. You (nor anyone else) have been violated. We are simply getting fed up that there are people so PC, so fragile, so venomous, so victimhood seeking, that they would attempt to drop a bomb on us over nothing. > And guess what, her sentiment about racism, whether I agree with it or not, is shared by many scholars of American race relations who are decidedly more informed on the subject. Redefining established words to fit your narrative (as someone said on here) is a crime against understanding and is not acceptable.

shantanubala 14y ago
> Redefining established words to fit your narrative (as someone said on here) is a crime against understanding and is not acceptable. This is hardly a redefinition as much as a clarification of intent and context. Saying that it's a "crime against understanding" is a bit of an exaggeration. I mean, saying that racism is "prejudice" is what Dictionary.com says, and saying racism is "prejudice with power" is what a sociologist says, then can't you figure it out with context? Dictionary.com says gravity is, "the force of attraction by which terrestrial bodies tend to fall toward the center of the earth." but a physicist would probably have a different definition they think is more accurate. I definitely wouldn't say that Adria was right in this whole incident, but picking apart the rest of her Twitter history like it's some sort of way to establish how much you should dislike her is the wrong approach to making things better.
- dinkumthinkum 14y ago
  Nonsense. She wrote in all caps that a class of people "CANNOT" be racist in all caps like a loony bird. She wasn't making some deep intellectual point. Come on. It was stupidity. It's not the same as a layperson describing gravity in terms of some basic understanding of Newtonian physics and a physicist describing it in terms of general relativity. It was just dumb.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

danielweber 14y ago

First, because it demonstrates the extent to which a company can be brought to its knees by a group of hostile people organized online I agree. This is frightening. Any concept of a DDOS being a "digital sit-in" are dumb. PlayHaven may also have been trying to avoid the mob, too. Second because hundreds and hundreds of men here and elsewhere seem quite happy to align themselves with an overtly sexist, violently threatening campaign against an individual whose views they disagree with. What do you mean by "align themselves"? Those are extremely vague words. Do you mean "approve of"? Or do you mean "takes the same side as"? Anyone who approves of the DDOS is a moron. Anyone who approves of death threats is a sociopath. The people who issued threats should be subject to criminal prosecution. However, people can find themselves legitimately on the same side of an issue as a bunch of assholes. No one should be forced out of a position by the fact that disgusting people also have that opinion.[1] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_fallacy

thejosh 14y ago
DDOS is about the same level as fire bombing a business. People like Richard Stallman who disagree (Richard Stallman is stuck in the past) really haven't got a clue that's going on.
- dinkumthinkum 14y ago
  No, I can't make that leap. Firebombing? I don't condone DDOS, but that's just crazy. The moment people can die (without citing some kind of really strange examples) from DDOS, I will reconsider but come on.
- hga 14y ago
  Arson is a serious felony because people are often killed by it, inhabitants and/or firefighters. A DDoS is akin to blocking the entry of customers to a retail establishment.

dinkumthinkum 14y ago

Hogwash. Where's the evidence that the people pictured said anything. Which one said what? At best this is potentially libelous. If you had video of them saying it or a photo of them making gestures, this is one thing. As well, the statements were not, per se, as far as I have heard, misogynistic. If the facts of the case were different and we had the same response, I would probably side with you. However, it seems like this person is throwing a little temper tantrum and it is, apparently, a pattern of behavior of her's that doesn't help anyone. It's also very poor judgement for someone representing a company at a conference. It seems a little silly to me for someone that is allegedly an evangelist for a tech company not to know how the Internet works. As for the racism bit, since you brought it up, no it was a moronic statement without real basis. I don't think Sendgrid cowed at all. I think this person has a history, apparently, of baiting situations and causing herself to be a spectacle, very inappropriate for a representative.

mc32 14y ago

Nitpick... >Taking a photograph of someone in a public place and reporting what they said within earshot, without any expectation of privacy, does not warrant vitriol. It's not actually a public place. It's a private venue. The venue can set the policy as it sees fit the same way concerts can ban recording devices, etc.

VigUi7vv8G2 14y ago

Here's a thought: You don't need to post every single thought you have on twitter. So many of these controversies can be avoided by following that rule

doktrin 14y ago

> Taking a photograph of someone in a public place and reporting what they said within earshot, without any expectation of privacy, does not warrant vitriol. FWIW, the prospect of being overheard for a passing comment and subsequently slandered all over Twitter is rather terrifying. I suspect many contributors here can easily see themselves in the shoes of the dev who was canned, and therefore perceive Adria's actions as unreasonable.